Jefferson Adams is a freelance writer living in San Francisco. His poems, essays and photographs have appeared in Antioch Review, Blue Mesa Review, CALIBAN, Hayden's Ferry Review, Huffington Post, the Mississippi Review, and Slate among others.

He is a member of both the National Writers Union, the International Federation of Journalists, and covers San Francisco Health News for Examiner.com.

By Jefferson Adams

Published on 05/7/2013

Pork chops are one of my reliable standbys, one of my go-to dishes when I need to make a delicious dinner in a pinch. Any way you care to make them, I'm usually happy to eat a pork chop.

Celiac.com 05/07/2013 - Pork chops are one of my reliable standbys, one of my go-to dishes when I need to make a delicious dinner in a pinch. Any way you care to make them, I'm usually happy to eat a pork chop.

Recently, I decided I needed a bit more splash in my recipe mix, so I looked around that put a new spin on an old favorite. The result made me smile.

It's spring, so apricots and peaches will soon be appearing at a stores near you. Yes, this recipe can be made with peaches, just use less peach than you would apricot, but otherwise, prepare the same way.

This recipe serves four, so scale accordingly.

Ingredients:

4 boneless pork chops (1-1½ inches thick)

4 fresh apricots or 1 peach, pitted and cut into wedges

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon butter

2 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon water

1 tablespoons gluten-free brown mustard (I use Amy's)

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons chopped fresh Italian parsley

Salt and black pepper to taste

Directions:Rinse and dry pork chops, and then season them on both sides with salt and black pepper.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, and sear the chops about 5 minutes per side, until well browned.

Remove chops to a plate for a moment.

Keeping the juices in the pan, add apricots and allow them to sear briefly, then whisk in garlic, honey, mustard, and water.

Add chops back to the pan. Make sure they're flat on the bottom, so they cook evenly.

Reduce heat to a simmer, and cook covered, until the pork is cooked through; about 7-8 more minutes. Turn once at 3½-4 minutes, and stir as needed.

Sprinkle with parsley, and serve chops topped with the cooked apricots and pan juices. I like to serve them with rice and vegetables for a delicious dinner.

The pork chops pair nicely with a dry white wine or a gluten-free hard apple cider.